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Salty Paws Crew

@unearthing.the.wild

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ADVENTURE × CONSERVATION | 📍 Alaska-based explorers inspiring a deeper love for our planet through unforgettable experiences.

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Your dog called. They want a day trip to Seward.

And honestly? We don’t blame them.

If Sage + Chena were planning the perfect dog day in Seward, Alaska, these three stops would make the itinerary!

1. Fourth of July Beach
Ocean air, mountain views, and plenty of interesting smells to investigate. A beautiful spot to explore the shoreline and let your pup experience coastal Alaska. Water’s cold!

📍 Know someone who plans their vacations around the dog? Send them this Seward itinerary.

And keep it handy for your next Alaska road trip!

#SaltyPaws #SewardAlaska #DogFriendlyAlaska

2. Seward Boat Harbor
Boats, sea otters (if you’re lucky!), and all the sights and sounds of a working Alaska harbor. Keep your pup leashed and enjoy a waterfront stroll while watching the harbor come to life.

📍 Know someone who plans their vacations around the dog? Send them this Seward itinerary.

And keep it handy for your next Alaska road trip!

#SaltyPaws #SewardAlaska #DogFriendlyAlaska

2. Seward Boat Harbor
Boats, sea otters (if you’re lucky!), and all the sights and sounds of a working Alaska harbor. Keep your pup leashed and enjoy a waterfront stroll while watching the harbor come to life.

📍 Know someone who plans their vacations around the dog? Send them this Seward itinerary.

And keep it handy for your next Alaska road trip!

#SaltyPaws #SewardAlaska #DogFriendlyAlaska

2. Seward Boat Harbor
Boats, sea otters (if you’re lucky!), and all the sights and sounds of a working Alaska harbor. Keep your pup leashed and enjoy a waterfront stroll while watching the harbor come to life.

📍 Know someone who plans their vacations around the dog? Send them this Seward itinerary.

And keep it handy for your next Alaska road trip!

#SaltyPaws #SewardAlaska #DogFriendlyAlaska

3. Seward Waterfront Trail
A scenic walk along Resurrection Bay with mountain views that never get old. Perfect for stretching those legs, taking in the scenery, and enjoying Seward at a slower pace.

Three stops. Countless smells. Two very happy adventure dogs. 🐕🐕

A few reminders from Sage + Chena:
🐾 Respect leash requirements and posted signs.
🐾 Give wildlife plenty of space.
🐾 Bring water, waste bag A red Merle Australian shepherd, Chena, of Salty Paws is in the background and the onscreen text states, “3 Places We’d Take Our Adventure Dogs in Seward for one Epic Dog Day.”

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Three otters tumbling through the water. Two more focused on salmon.

What looks like a playful wrestling match can serve a purpose: play helps otters practice coordination and social interactions. But a short video doesn’t tell the whole story; rolling and close contact can also involve grooming or other social behavior.

Then comes the lunch crew. Fish provide energy for these active mammals, and salmon connect Alaska’s ocean, rivers, and the wildlife that depends on them.

A few minutes watching the water can reveal an entire story. The trick is slowing down long enough to notice.

📍Seward, Alaska

#SaltyPaws #Otters #UnearthingtheWild

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On your way to Seward or looking for an easy activity between Anchorage and Girdwood?

Sometimes you just need to get out of the house, breathe some fresh air, and let the dogs enjoy a change of scenery.

So Sage, Chena, and I headed to Mile 95.3 along the Seward Highway, overlooking beautiful Turnagain Arm In August.

The mission? A scenic drive, some low-pressure socialization for Chena from a comfortable distance, and maybe—just maybe—a glimpse of belugas.

And Alaska delivered!

But these weren’t just any whales.

They’re part of the endangered Cook Inlet beluga population, a small, genetically distinct population that has struggled to recover despite federal protection since 2008.

As a volunteer with the Alaska Beluga Monitoring Program (AKBMP or @alaskabmp ), I have a special appreciation for these encounters.

Through shore-based observations, volunteers help collect valuable information about beluga distribution, behavior, and habitat use and this data supports research and conservation.

It’s a reminder that you don’t have to be a marine biologist to contribute to protecting wildlife. Sometimes it begins with showing up, paying attention, and getting involved.

And sometimes, an ordinary afternoon with two adventure dogs becomes something extraordinary. 🤍

📍 Seward Highway | Mile 95.3
🐾 Dog-friendly scenic outing
🔭 Bring binoculars
🐋 Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed

Save this stop for your next Alaska road trip, and if you’d like to help protect Cook Inlet belugas, explore volunteer opportunities at akbmp.org.

Because the more we understand these incredible animals, the better equipped we are to protect them.

#SaltyPaws #UnearthingtheWild #AlaskaThingstoDo

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PLUMERIA FROZEN TREAT

1 x banana
2 x tablespoons peanut butter (Verify there is NO xylitol which is TOXIC to dogs)
1 x cup unsweetened plain greek yogurt
Plumeria Flower Ice Tray

1. Mix.
2. Pour in ice tray.
3. Freeze.

This super easy recipe is a sweet treat for your pups! It can be messy, so put it in a bowl OR present it outdoors to save yourself a cleaning!

#SaltyPaws #Dogstreats #DogRecipe

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Coastal river otters in Seward, Alaska love freshwater and saltwater fish, but they also eat crabs, shrimp, marine invertebrates, and occasionally, small land mammals.

They can swim up to 6 mph, dive down 60 feet, and stay underwater for up to 4 minutes!

This family “found” an easy meal…

Wildlife doesn’t exist to perform, but sometimes we get lucky.

#VisitSeward #UnearthingtheWild #Otters

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Looking for quiet, dog-friendly adventures in Alaska? You found the right pack.

This trail checked a lot of our boxes: relatively easy, beautiful views, easy parking, and—our favorite part—hardly another person around.

The reward? A peaceful creek surrounded by forest where all we could hear was rushing water and the breeze. Sage + Chena approved.

A few things we’d want to know before going:

🥾 Relatively easy hike
🐾 Dog-friendly
🚗 Easy parking
🧍 Very few people during our visit
🦟 No bugs when we went
⚠️ Last ¼ mile was overgrown
🫐 Lots of berry bushes = stay bear aware

We didn’t encounter bears or see signs of them, but this is Alaska… we stay prepared regardless.

Worth the Wag? 🐾 Absolutely.

We’re Sage + Chena, two adventure dogs exploring Alaska one trail, road, and wild place at a time.

Follow Salty Paws for dog-friendly Alaska adventures + tips for bringing your own adventure pup along. 🏔️🐾

Save this one for later. Check out Victor Creek Trail on @alltrails.

#SaltyPaws #Alaska #DogFriendlyHike

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Apparently, bananas taste better when they’re spoon-fed by Dog Mom.

Sage + Chena take snack testing very seriously and the level of service around here has clearly gotten out of hand.

Two very different personalities.
Two very enthusiastic taste testers.
Zero interest in lowering their standards.

Welcome to Salty Paws, where life with two adventure dogs includes wild Alaska, road trips, outdoor adventures…and apparently fine dining.

Follow for Sage + Chena’s next snack review as inspiration for your own pups!

And pet brands: these two are clearly ready for their careers in product testing. 😉

#SaltyPaws #DogTreats #Aussies

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I probably shouldn’t have said it out loud…

It was our final day on the water in Seward, Alaska. We’d already encountered orcas and were heading back toward the harbor when I said:

“All we’re missing now are porpoises.”

Not five minutes later, we spotted movement in the distance.

Then they came straight toward us.

At least FOUR Dall’s porpoises converged on the boat and started riding our bow wave.

Dall’s porpoises are built for speed; they can reach around 35 mph and are famous for the distinctive “rooster tail” of spray they create when traveling fast.

And the bow riding? They’re essentially surfing the pressure wave created by the boat, allowing them to travel alongside it with less effort.

The best part: we didn’t approach them. They chose us.

Orcas AND porpoises to close out our final day on the water.

Alaska has impeccable timing. 🤍

“Follow” us for wild Alaska, marine wildlife, and the stories behind what you’re seeing.

These wild creatures approached us, and not vice versa. We respect them.

#SewardAlaska #SaltyPaws #UnearthingtheWild

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WHERE THE PAWS TOOK US 🐾

Sometimes the best hikes aren’t the biggest or hardest, they’re the ones where you find a quiet stretch of Alaska and get to enjoy it almost entirely to yourselves.

This one delivered.

It was a relatively quick, easy hike with convenient parking and plenty of room for Sage + Chena to explore. For us, the biggest win was how quiet it was. On a Sunday afternoon, we encountered virtually no one.

Once we reached the creek, it was just the sound of moving water, the breeze through the trees, and two very happy dogs. No traffic. No bugs. No rush to be anywhere else.

A few things to know before you go: the final quarter mile was quite overgrown when we visited, with abundant berry bushes. In Alaska, that means our bear awareness goes up considerably. We didn’t see any bears or signs of them during our hike, but we stayed alert and prepared. The terrain may also be challenging for someone with mobility limitations.

🥾 Difficulty: Easy
🐾 Dog-friendly: Yes
🚗 Parking: Easy
🧍‍♂️ Crowds: Very light during our visit
🦟 Bugs: None during our visit
⚠️ Heads-up: Overgrown final ¼ mile + berry bushes

Worth the Wag? Sage + Chena say absolutely.

Save this for your next adventure and follow to see where the paws go next.

#SaltyPaws #DogFriendlyHike #UnearthingtheWild

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We considered adding intriguing music but then you’d miss the little pitter patters and squeaks of these river otters seen at the Seward Small Boat Harbor.

Patience and time are the key ingredients to wildlife viewing.

Did you know? 🦦 River otters aren’t just river dwellers. In coastal Alaska, they regularly venture into saltwater to hunt, making Seward’s shoreline a perfectly suitable place to spot one.

#Otters #Alaska #UnearthingtheWild

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At some point, we apparently decided that eating bananas like regular dogs was beneath them.

So here we are… Dog Mom spoon-feeding bananas to Sage + Chena.

No special occasion.
No medical necessity.
Just two girls receiving the level of service they have come to expect. 😂

And judging by how willingly they participated, neither one sees anything unusual about this arrangement.

Are they spoiled? Maybe.

Will we stop? Absolutely not.

Be honest: what’s the most ridiculous thing you do for your dog that feels completely normal at this point?
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.
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#SaltyPaws #Dogs #aussies

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Does anyone else have a dog who has basically figured out how to speak human? 😂

Sage has always been incredibly communicative with us.
When she starts whining, we’ll ask:

“What do you want? Show us what you want.”

And she does.

- Needs to go outside? She leads us to the door and looks at it.
- Wants a treat? Off we go to the counter where they’re kept.
- Ready for bed? She’ll take us straight to the bedroom.

She’s learned that if she gets our attention and shows us where to go, we’ll understand what she’s asking for. And somehow, she keeps finding new ways to communicate.

Case in point: our recent car-camping trip.

Apparently Sage decided the back of the vehicle was now officially “the bedroom.” When she was ready to go back inside, there was no ambiguity.

Those tiny impatient foot stomps said everything. 😂
“Excuse me. I am ready for bed now.”

She’s observant, ridiculously smart, and constantly reminds us just how much dogs are capable of communicating when we actually pay attention to what they’re telling us.

(@adventuringwithnala - It’s a different take on the “stomps!” 🤣)

Does your dog have a particular way of telling you exactly what they want? Tell us what they do!

#SaltyPaws #Alaska #UnearthingtheWild

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